One of the major storylines in the NBA early this season has been the struggles of the Los Angeles Lakers. At 0-4 on the season so far, they head into Minnesota to take on an exciting Timberwolves squad on Friday night. In our NBA predictions for Friday night, we look at Lakers vs Timberwolves in another attempt by the Lakers to win their first game of the 2022-23 campaign.
NBA
Los Angeles Lakers
Minnesota Timberwolves
Team Stats Per Game
Team Stats Per 100 Poss
Offense/Defense
LAL | Team Stats Per 100 Poss | MIN |
---|---|---|
82 | Games | 79 |
42.9 | FG | 40.5 |
86.0 | FGA | 90.5 |
.499 | FG% | .447 |
11.6 | 3Pt-FG | 11.9 |
30.8 | 3Pt-FGA | 33.8 |
.377 | 3Pt% | .352 |
31.3 | 2Pt-FG | 28.6 |
55.2 | 2Pt-FGA | 56.7 |
.567 | 2Pt% | .504 |
18.6 | FT | 17.9 |
23.8 | FTA | 22.8 |
.782 | FT% | .785 |
8.1 | ORB | 10.7 |
34.2 | DRB | 29.2 |
42.3 | TRB | 39.9 |
28.0 | AST | 25.4 |
7.2 | STL | 7.8 |
5.4 | BLK | 4.7 |
13.7 | TOV | 13.6 |
15.4 | PF | 20.6 |
115.9 | PTS | 110.8 |
Defense/Offense
LAL | Team Stats Per 100 Poss | MIN |
---|---|---|
82 | Games | 79 |
43.6 | FG | 43.2 |
92.1 | FGA | 89.1 |
.474 | FG% | .485 |
14.0 | 3Pt-FG | 13.3 |
37.2 | 3Pt-FGA | 34.2 |
.376 | 3Pt% | .388 |
29.6 | 2Pt-FG | 29.9 |
54.8 | 2Pt-FGA | 54.9 |
.540 | 2Pt% | .545 |
14.1 | FT | 18.5 |
17.7 | FTA | 23.8 |
.795 | FT% | .778 |
10.7 | ORB | 9.8 |
32.6 | DRB | 32.5 |
43.3 | TRB | 42.3 |
27.7 | AST | 27.9 |
8.1 | STL | 8.2 |
4.7 | BLK | 6.3 |
13.2 | TOV | 13.7 |
19.4 | PF | 19.6 |
115.3 | PTS | 118.1 |
Four Factors
Offense/Defense
LAL | Four Factors | MIN |
---|---|---|
.566 | eFG% | .513 |
12.5 | TOV% | 11.9 |
19.9 | RB% | 75.2 |
.216 | FT/FGA | .198 |
Defense/Offense
LAL | Four Factors | MIN |
---|---|---|
.550 | eFG% | .559 |
11.7 | TOV% | 12.1 |
76.2 | RB% | 25.1 |
.153 | FT/FGA | .208 |
Analytics
LAL | Analytics | MIN |
---|---|---|
42 | Pythag Wins | 56 |
40 | Pythag Losses | 23 |
0.60 | Margin Of Victory | 7.01 |
115.9 | O Rtg | 118.1 |
115.3 | D Rtg | 110.8 |
100.9 | Pace | 95.2 |
.276 | FTr | .267 |
.358 | 3PAr | .384 |
.601 | TS% | .593 |
Betting Trends
LAL | Betting Trends | MIN |
---|---|---|
OVERALL | OVERALL | |
0-3-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 2-1-0 |
0-3-0 | ATS W/L/P | 2-1-0 |
100 | Avg Score | 118.67 |
106.33 | Avg Opp Score | 114.33 |
AWAY | HOME | |
1-2-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 1-2-0 |
1-2-0 | ATS W/L/P | 1-2-0 |
118 | Avg Score | 122 |
124.67 | Avg Opp Score | 123 |
LAL | Betting Trends | MIN |
---|---|---|
OVERALL | OVERALL | |
1-4-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 3-2-0 |
1-4-0 | ATS W/L/P | 2-3-0 |
111 | Avg Score | 119.4 |
116.6 | Avg Opp Score | 116.6 |
AWAY | HOME | |
1-4-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 2-3-0 |
2-3-0 | ATS W/L/P | 1-4-0 |
115.2 | Avg Score | 117.4 |
124.6 | Avg Opp Score | 118.2 |
LAL | Betting Trends | MIN |
---|---|---|
OVERALL | OVERALL | |
2-8-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 4-6-0 |
3-7-0 | ATS W/L/P | 4-6-0 |
112.6 | Avg Score | 112.2 |
117.6 | Avg Opp Score | 115.4 |
AWAY | HOME | |
2-8-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 5-5-0 |
4-6-0 | ATS W/L/P | 3-7-0 |
115.3 | Avg Score | 115.7 |
123.6 | Avg Opp Score | 116.2 |
Head to Head
Teams Last 10
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Lakers vs Timberwolves Betting Pick
This game will be played at Target Center at 8:00 PM ET on Friday, October 28, 2022.
Why Bet The Lakers:
✅ The Lakers’ glaring issue this season is their three-point shooting. But the Timberwolves have not been much better in that department early on this season. Minnesota is a bottom-half team in the league in terms of three-point shooting percentage. While the Lakers are dead last in that category, the Timberwolves are not likely to rack up a huge advantage from beyond the arc.
✅ Minnesota is 3-2 this season, but they are still going through some growing pains. They have played one of the softest schedules in the NBA so far, playing the Thunder and Spurs twice, along with the Jazz. To be 2-2 at home when facing that schedule is a sign that this Timberwolves team is not quite at an elite level just yet.
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✅ The Lakers, meanwhile, have played a brutal schedule. They have faced the defending champion Warriors, along with the Clippers, Nuggets, and a Trail Blazers team that was playing at an elite level before Damian Lillard was injured. This is arguably the least difficult game the Lakers have played this season so far. They may not win it, but they will keep it close.
Los Angeles Lakers
The start of this season has gone poorly for the Los Angeles Lakers to say the least. They are off to an 0-4 start, and are one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the recent history of the NBA. In this game, the Lakers may need some timely three-point shooting, as they will not be able to waltz to the rim against a Timberwolves team with Rudy Gobert lurking in the paint.
The injury situation for the Lakers is worth paying attention to coming into this game. Anthony Davis is questionable due to back tightness, while Russell Westbrook is questionable after missing Wednesday night’s loss to the Nuggets. While the presence of Westbrook may not be a positive overall for the Lakers, losing Davis would hurt a team that is already hurting.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are 3-2 to start this season, but that record may be a little misleading. They are 0-1 against teams that are not the Spurs and Thunder, both of whom are firmly in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. Here, the Wolves look for what could be their most impressive win of the year so far, even if it is against the struggling Lakers.
Keep an eye on the defense of the Timberwolves in this contest, as they have struggled on that end of the floor thus far. In three games against teams that are not the OKC Thunder, the Wolves have allowed at least 115 points every time out. While the Lakers have been offensively challenged so far, the Timberwolves defense could be what wakes them up.